1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to containers, systems, and processes for shipping and storing food products and to methods for recycling such shipping and storage containers. In particular, it relates to containers for shipping and storing food products having a plurality of chambers, which containers comprise an outer casing enclosing a temperature controlled container fabricated from an insulating material and systems for shipping and storing food products in such containers, which systems employ cooling means to control the temperature within the temperature controlled container. Further, the invention relates to methods for recycling such shipping and storage containers, in which the containers are returned to the food product provider for cleaning and inspection. After cleaning and inspection, the provider may reuse the container, refurbish and then reuse the container, or return of the containers or container components to the container fabricator for recycling.
2. Description of Related Art
The planning of a diet of nutritious meals, the shopping for the ingredients to prepare such meals, and the preparation of the meals themselves are often difficult and time consuming tasks. In particular, working couples, single working persons, and students often find it difficult to find the time to accomplish these tasks. Perhaps more importantly, persons suffering from diet responsive conditions, such as diabetes, are often unable to efficiently and effectively accomplish these tasks.
Although frozen and retorted food products, such as "TV" dinners and retorted soups and stews, have long been available to help persons prepare meals, these are merely aids to the planning and preparation of a diet. Nevertheless, in order to take advantage of the convenience that such frozen and retorted food products provide, the diet must still be planned, and the food products must still be purchased. Further, these food products may most greatly reduce that time and effort spent in preparation of meals. The time and effort expended in the planning and gathering of the ingredients may far outstrip the time and effort actually expended in preparing any and all of the meals. In addition, the importance of the quality of the meals may be of crucial importance. For example, diets consisting of individually packaged meals for persons suffering from a diet responsive condition are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,639,471 to Chait et al., the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
While containers exist for shipping and storing chilled or heated food products, these containers provide for shipping and storing a variety of products at a desired temperature. Storing retorted food products, such as soups, at temperatures below the freezing point of water may cause the food products to freeze, and there cans or containers to rupture. Further, prolonged cooling or heating or unnecessary degrees of cooling or heating may adversely effect the organoleptic characteristics of certain food products or their ingredients. For example, prolonged or uncontrolled variations in the degree of cooling or heating may result in changes in the texture of some food products, especially baked goods. Therefore, regardless of the type or quantity of food products to be shipped or stored, the shipping container maintains the food products within a desired temperature range and reduce or eliminate any uncontrolled temperature fluctuations.